Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Truth of Diet Lies

My eyes have been opened in more ways than one in the past few days, and like John Belushi in The Blues Brothers, I'm screaming out "I see the light!! I see the light!!!!"

All this crap about dieting and healthy eating that has been shoved down our throats in the last decade or so... it's all lies. Or, maybe not technically lies, but more like half-truths.

Apparently there has been a decade-long study into the actual effects of diet changes in women (specifically women, although I'd be willing to bet that the majority of it would apply to men as well) in relation to the risks of certain types of cancer and diabetes. What did the whole thing boil down to?

"Healthy eating" (as defined in the study) didn't do crap. If anything, the women that made the biggest changes in their eating habits increased their risks of certain types of cancers.

There were no statistically significant differences for any of the cancers. Eating “healthy” versus eating whatever they chose made no tenable difference in any of the cancers.

What does this tell me?

It reinforces the belief that the diet companies are in bed with the government bodies that back up and fund these studies. It supports the view that a vast majority of the population have suddenly morphed into Chicken Little and can't stop screaming that the Sky is Falling!!!

But... does this mean that I have carte blanche to eat whatever I want whenever I want in whatever amounts I want?

No.

Do I still feel like I need to make some changes? Yes. But do I automatically assume that making these changes is going to make me lose weight and/or become healthier? Nope.

I realize that I have a more unhealthy diet than some people, because of all the processed food I eat. In my ideal world, I'd be cooking fresh food every single day. But the reality of my life is that I can't afford to make fresh food every day - it's simply too expensive for our tiny budget. But I do accept that I can make some changes without extremely affecting our budget in an adverse way. Even cooking one meal a week from fresh ingredients will be better than NEVER using fresh ingredients.

It's amazing the amount of information there is out there about this stuff. Every single day, it seems, there's a new study or a new statement by some other "expert" saying that "OMG we're all gonna die because we're all too fat!!!"

That's simply not true. There have been studies done (but I've looked at so many different websites lately that I simply can't remember which one I found where) that actually showed that having some extra weight can help you to live LONGER. They didn't specify why, but I'm willing to bet that it has something to do with the strength of overweight people. Think about it - they say gaining weight is like wearing a backpack with "x" amount of weight in it. Well, if you're like me and you've always worn that extra weight, doesn't that mean that you're just stronger to begin with? I can see it being a problem for someone who has always been naturally thin and suddenly starts to gain weight, but for people like me - and I'm not exactly alone in this - we've always carried extra weight, and therefore don't notice the difference.

Still don't believe me? Take a look at Kate Harding's BMI Project. Pay close attention to the people supposedly in the "overweight" category. I wonder - if you didn't see that word "overweight" under their photo, would YOU classify them as being so? I highly - HIGHLY - doubt it.

1 Comments:

I read where people who are thin are more at risk of either getting cancer or dieing from cancer (both?). It confirmed a suspicion based on knowing several young people who either got cancer or died from it -- most were thin. I don't know one overweight individual (personally) who died or was diagnosed with cancer. Now I do believe the research that obesity is linked to diseases, including cancer. But I think the other side of the coin should be brought to light, instead of constantly harping on obesity as a risk factor.

About Me

I'm an American "ex-pat," having moved to my husband's hometown in 2003. I'm now enjoying life as a "domestic goddess" ... or as close to one as I can GET! *lol* I've been married to the love of my life since 1999, and I have 4 gorgeous girls, of whom I'm very proud. I can be a little neurotic and krazy at times... and very opinionated. However, as opinionated as I am, I'm also very open-minded and have a "live and let live" attitude. I'm a walking, breathing contradiction... and that's why people love me. :)